2016 has been a big year for e-tailer Revolve and this week saw it round off its year-long period of expansion by launching a section of the website dedicated exclusively to beauty.
The launch of #Revolvebeauty hasn’t been approached half-heartedly. On the contrary, the company already has 45 brands that span makeup, skincare, bath and body, nails, hair and tools already on site: Oribe, Stila, Aesop and Malin + Goetz to name a few. However, according to WWD, Revolve co-founder and co-chief executive officer Michael Mente is said to be focussing on emerging beauty players such as Ouai, Ilia, Kjaer Weis, Kosas, Herbivore Botanicals, Kopari, Verso Skincare, Context, Kai and Sachajuan. He has also emphasised that covering every category of beauty was a priority, similar to what the e-tailer does with fashion.
Although Mente is hesitant about describing the rollout as a big entry into the category, at time of launch, Revolve had 15 more brands on board than Net-a-Porter had when it introduced its beauty category (called The Quintessential Edit) back in 2013. But if Net is anything to go by, Revolve could be set to enjoy unprecedented success in the beauty arena. In more than three-and-a-half years, the former’s product offering has grown to roughly 6000.
Revolve has reached out to its network of influencers to help with the launch: “Just like anything we’ve done forever and ever, we always want to work with influencers because it’s the easiest way to get the word out,” vice president of brand marketing Raissa Gerona told WWD. Patrick Ta, Rachel “Rocky” Barnes, Jenn Im, Amy Pham and Jasmine Saunders will be in attendance at a two-day event this weekend, held at the Revolve Social Club (the brand’s L.A-based venue meets showroom meets clubhouse), meeting and greeting customers and holding beauty demonstrations.
Image: @jessimalay
